


december 14th: bundle up, baby

by watergator



Series: december fic advent 2020 [14]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Babies, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, First Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Snow, parent!phan, uncle!phan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28073832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watergator/pseuds/watergator
Summary: prompt: dnp taking their little kid for the first time to the iom for christmasthere's nothing more exciting than a child's first christmas
Relationships: Cornelia Dahlgren/Martyn Lester, Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: december fic advent 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035978
Comments: 12
Kudos: 71





	december 14th: bundle up, baby

**_Dec 19th - 9pm_ **

Dan is checking, double checking and then  _ triple  _ checking the large duffle bag that’s plonked down on the bed when Phil pokes his head around the door, just in time to catch the spectacular moments in which his partner starts talking to himself.   
  
“And the formula, is this in here - yes, okay, formula is ready to go. Nappies? Can’t have enough nappies and - are these the right ones...” a pause from where he’s hunched over the bag, rifling through the items in the bag, and Phil has to be extra careful not to let enough laughter escape him out of fear of being caught watching.   
  
“Okay, nappies are fine. Is the friggin… flippity what d’you call it, whatever it is in here?”   
  
Phil watches closely as Dan digs around the bag again, straightening up when he pulls out a dummy, looking delighted with himself. 

“Right,” Dan clasps his hands together, still blissfully unaware of Phil’s presence behind him. “We’ve got formula. Nappies. Dummies. Clothes for outdoors, clothes for indoors. Clothes for if she gets wet. What if  _ I _ get wet? Maybe I need to pack extra jeans or something? Did Kath say it was raining over there? Does snow equal wet weather? That’s a stupid question, we have formula, nappies, dummies-”

Phil can’t help himself any longer. He steps out from behind the frame of the door, Dan’s back turned to him as he practically crawls inside the bag to check again, only for him to jump almost ten feet in the air when Phil speaks suddenly, 

“I think the only dummy we need is  _ you _ , dummy.”   
  
Dan yelps, spins around to look at Phil; he looks disgruntled, then a little shy as the realisation that he could have very well been listening in on him, dawns on him.   
  
“Why were you watching me like a weirdo?” He asks, picking up a tiny pink sock and shoving it back in the bag. 

Phil grins from ear to ear, pleased with himself. “You were being cute,” he tells him, and Dan’s rosy patch goes a deeper shade of pink as he looks away to zip up the duffle bag rather harshly.   
  
“Calling me a dummy then calling me cute. What’s your game, Lester?”   
  
Phil watches Dan pick the bag up, swinging it over his shoulder as he frowns at him, and Phil just shrugs.   
  
“Maybe I like you,” he says, cocking his head to the side, and Dan’s face goes even pinker.   
  
“You’re weird,” he simply says, moving past Phil only for him to follow him out of the room. “Weirdo.”   
  
Dan dumps the bag on the dining table; it’s messy, strewn around with various documents that almost certainly didn’t need to be printed since they’re not living in the dark ages, and Phil has all their flight details on his phone. But of course, with Dan’s track record of bad flight experiences, he’s insisted on being extra careful as to not completely ruin their trip over to the Isle for Christmas.

He’s already unzipping the bag and checking again when Phil realises he seriously needs to stage an intervention as he takes a step forward, taking Dan’s hands in his, earning him a confused look when he glances upwards at him, almost insulted that he’d been interrupted when Phil speaks.   
  
“Dan. Relax. You have all it in the bag. If we run out of nappies I’m sure there’s a shop on the Isle that sells them. You know my mum already has a whole drawer of spare clothes. If she loses her dummy she always has her thumb to suck on; it’s not the end of the world.”   
  
Dan blinks at him, and then he lets out a long sigh, his shoulders sag, like all the tension there was finally starting to ease out of him, and Phil gives his hands an extra squeeze.   
  
“Sorry,” he mutters, looking at the bag that’s a mess again. “I feel like I need to worry and panic otherwise I’ll just explode.”   
  
Phil laughs, brings his hands up to kiss at his knuckles, softly.   
  
“Don’t go exploding on me,” he tells him, earning a smile from Dan. “I quite like you being in one piece.”   
  
Dan huffs a laugh, dipping his head down. “Is she asleep?” He asks.   
  
Phil hums. “Put her down half hour ago. Went out like a light.”   
  
Dan looks back up at Phil, eyes twinkling. “Good,” he tells him. “There’s something else you can do for me then. To stop me exploding, that is.”   
  
Phil just snorts and laughs and rolls his eyes as he follows his husband to their room.   
  
*   
**_  
Dec 20th - 10am_ **   


Phil isn’t sure how it’s physically possible for babies to actually be as loud as two jet engines. He’s not that asshole that asks any poor parent to maybe shut their kid up, but as he walks around the airport lounge, Ruby bouncing on his hip as she chews on the end of her scarf, Phil has a wave of anxiety that he might be that poor parent today.   
She’s relatively calm today; woke up easy, cried a little because her nappy was wet, made a mess of her breakfast and she’d pulled her sock off like eight times before the taxi had arrived outside their door to take them to the airport.   
  
But the busy thrill of it all seems to have her distracted enough not to care about her own feet anymore, and a police office is walking past them, a big German Shepard in tow, and she’s wriggling out of Phil’s grasp to point a chubby finger at them, squealing in delight as she shouts in her little voice,   
  
“Doggy! Doggy!”   
  
Phil grins - no matter how anxious he’s feeling, he can’t help but feel utterly endeared by the fact that this tiny human is his child, and she’s so bloody cute.   
  
“Yeah,” Phil encourages her, twisting around so they can get a better look as the officer and dog keep strolling past them, unbothered. “It’s a big doggy.”   
  
They’re just repeating the word over and over again, a fun little game they like to play now that she’s starting to learn new words, when Dan appears beside him, holding two cardboard cups of coffee, looking rather flushed.   
  
“You okay?” Phil asks, carefully taking the cup as Ruby bounces around in one arm, still trying to get the dog that is now long gone, to come back.   
  
“Bumped into some viewers,” Dan says with an almost wince. “Don’t worry they’re already leaving. Told them we were heading to your parents so just, uh, brace yourself for Twitter.”   
  
Phil frowns and Dan takes a seat, Phil doing the same just opposite him. Ruby goes back to chewing her scarf and Phil is mindful to place his coffee on the ground until it’s cooled and there’s no waving baby arms to cause any accidents.   
  
He hadn’t planned to even check his phone for the next week and a half, but there’s always that niggling feeling that eats away at the back of his brain; to lurk and see what’s happening and what people are saying.   
  
He can picture it now: people will be talking about how they’re having a proper family Christmas today.    
  
Others will be spectating if Phil is with them - if Ruby is there too. There will be debates and arguments and by then, Phil will be closing down the stupid app in favour to open Candy Crush so that Ruby can jab her fingers against the screen and be entertained by bright colours and loud noises until she gets bored again, and his phone is pocketed into his jeans again where it’ll be forgotten blissfully.   
  
“Did they say anything?” Phil asks; the niggling feeling wins just a little bit.   
  
Dan looks up from behind his coffee cup, taking a long sip. “Nah, not really. I think they were too nervous,” he chuckles.   
  
Phil hums, and they leave it at that. Not every viewer they’ve met in airports have been terribly awful. But there’s been a handful of ones that have had him slightly concerned.   
  
“I heard someone was working on their doggy sounds,” Dan leans forward, his demeanour completely changes as he starts to coo at their daughter who is now noticing his attention, and she drops her scarf to make grabby hands at him.   
  
“Does the doggy go, woof?” Dan says, and Ruby giggles before she repeats his words,   
  
“Woof,” she babbles. “Woof, woof, woof.”   
  
Dan’s laughing to himself, Ruby banging her tiny fists on his chest as she continues to make dog noises, and Phil realises he won’t have to worry about their child screaming louder than a jet plane but rather a child that now she thinks she’s a dog.   
  
_ Thanks, Dan _ , he thinks.   
  
*   
  
**_Dec 20th - 11am_ **   
  
The plane ride over is always fairly easy - of course, a little different now that they have a seven month old child with them, switching between Phil and Dan’s lap, and much to both their joy, she makes no fuss.   
  
She gets to glance out the window, her little eyes go wide as she tries to comprehend in her tiny brain the thought of being in the sky, which between that and the old lady who keeps tickling her, she’s distracted the whole time to even care about crying, or making a fuss.   
  
The air hostess also bends over to pinch her cheek and when she’s out of earshot, Dan asks Phil if it’s weird to just touch other people’s children and Phil has to elbow him in the ribs to get him to shut up.   
  
It works.   
  
*   
  
**_Dec 20th - 12:15pm_ **   


The flight may have been easy, but Phil’s starting to wonder if that was because everything after seems to be a bit of a hassle.   


They’re waiting for their luggage for what feels like forever; everyone else soon enough filters out whilst Dan, Phil, and a now groggy Ruby watches the conveyor belt go round and round, with no sight of their stuff.   
  
Ruby is wriggling in his grasp now, whimpering and starting to cry, when Phil realises it’s been a while since she’s been changed, and he gives a small grimace when he can start to smell her.   
  
“She’s poo'ed,” Phil sighs, Ruby getting a little louder now, and Dan sighs.    
  
“Can you change her and I’ll go to the desk, see if they know what’s happening,” he says, sounding tired. “I’ll call your mum, too. Let her know we’re here.”   
  
Phil hums in agreement, and they turn and go their separate ways. Phil hates public toilets in general, but trying to change a squirming baby in there was exactly ideal - he’s just glad that they put the nappies and the wet wipes in their hand luggage.   
  
At least, he could have _ sworn _ they did.    
  
Ruby is properly crying now, wiggling around on the changing table as Phil panics, rifling through the bag only to realise they have no wet wipes - and she’s in desperate need of them.   
  
“I know,” Phil coos at her, tickling her little tummy as he looks around for some help - the men’s toilets aren’t really a place of sanctuary when trying to use something to wipe a baby’s bum, and even when he checks the stall, he’s met with an empty toilet roll discarded on the floor.   
  
All he can do it use some hand towels, and she doesn’t like that either, so he apologies to her, trying to stop his whole face heating up when some old guy walks in, looking a little disgruntled at the sight of a baby in the toilets, and Phil just pulls her leggings up, scoops her up and rushes out of there without a second thought.   
  
She’s still crying, kicking at him with her tiny feet when he meets Dan at the desk, looking like he’s still waiting.   
  
“Do you have the wet wipes?” He asks before Dan can even open his mouth. “I need wet wipes.”   
  
Ruby is screaming over him and Dan looks lost for a moment. “They’re in the duffle bag,” he says dumbly. “Which is seemingly lost right now.”   
  
Phil rarely swears, especially in front of children. “Ffffudge,” is what he grits out instead. “This is fudging stupid. Did you call my mum?”   
  
Dan nods, rubbing a hand over his face. It’s been a long day and it’s only midday.    
  
“Martyn is on his way to pick us up. I don’t know what’s happening with our bags though, if they’re not here then they’re back in London and it might take three days to get them back over.”   
  
Ruby is sniffling against him now, hiccuping as he bounces her slightly.   
  
“Three days?” he asks. “Why three?”   
  
Dan huffs, heavily. “It’s almost a week until Christmas, Phil, everywhere is booked. They need baggage space, or whatever the fu- whatever the _ fudge _ it is.”   
  
Phil frowns. Maybe he should have let Dan check a fifth time.

*   
  
**_Dec 20th - 12:30pm_ **

Phil is able to wrangle Dan their child as he runs into a WHSmiths that looks like it’s literally about to close up for lunch, ducking in just in time to grab a multipack of wipes, thanking the bored looking teenager at the cashier as he runs off, back towards Dan.   
  
He’s waving the wet wipes around like it’s their biggest victory, and Dan offers to take her to the toilets (the womans, this time since the men’s was a nightmare) leaving Phil to wait at the desk.   
  
Dan returns with a Ruby that looks a lot less enraged, and she’s happily sucking on her thumb (just like Phil had predicted) and snuggling into Dan’s neck sleepily.   
  
“She’ll probably sleep in the car,” Phil comments, then, looks up at Dan. “You did remind my brother to bring the car seat.”   
  
Dan rolls his eyes. “Phil. Martyn’s not stupid, they have a child. I’m sure he remembered.”   
  
And whilst that is true - his brother is maybe a tad smarter than he is, he’s still a Lester through and through, no matter what.   
  
A kind looking lady appears suddenly in front of them, with a bunch of paperwork and a nice, side smile.   
  
“So,” she starts. “I have some good news.”   
  
*   
  
**_Dec 20th - 1pm_ **   
  


Ruby does sleep in the car and Martyn does remember the carseat. She’s happily snoozing with Dan cramped in the backseat beside her as Phil stretches his legs out with the room that the front seat grants him - planes really weren’t made for tall people.   
  
“So they had the bags all along?” Martyn asks, voice muffled over the sound of the hot air that’s being blasted from the heating.   
  
“Yeah,” Dan scoffs. “Apparently it’d just got put on the wrong conveyor - we’re lucky nobody tried to knick our buggy, people seriously do try and steal that kind of stuff,” he says wearily.   
  
Martyn laughs, glancing up in the mirror to look and Dan before focusing on the road again.   
  
“You’re not in big, tough n’ rough, good old London now, mate,” he grins. “Welcome to God’s Land, where everyone is too old to care about anything.”

Dan laughs, “Sounds alright then.”   
  
*   
  
**_Dec 20th - 2pm_ **

  
Phil loves the smell of his mother’s cooking. It reminds him of being a kid when he’d spend all day playing with his friends, getting skinned knees and runny noses when he’d hear his mum’s voice bellow down the street that it was time for tea. And he daren’t ever argue as he’d say his goodbye’s and run all the way home where there was a nice, hot dinner waiting for him at the table with his brother and his dad.

And not much has really changed since then, he’s still living for his mum’s cooking and he’s equally as clumsy, the only difference being there more people at the dinner table than previously.   
  
He’s lounging in the living room, listening to Dan retell the same story about their almost-missing baggage to his dad who’s relaxed in his chair. Cornelia is reading, something that looks clever and smart, whilst her toddler plays at her feet, smacking two plastic blocks together rather contently.   
  
Martyn then appears with a tray in one hand, a towel draped over the other rather comedically, because his brother loves to act the prat when given the opportunity. It makes his dad and Cornelia laugh at least.   
  
“I have peanuts, cashews, mini pretzels and cheese cubes, I dunno why, mum said their ‘ _ festive’  _ or summink”, he comments, setting the tray on the table where there are indeed little clay pots of nibbles.    
  
Dan reaches forward without hesitation, grabbing a handful of cashews before throwing them into his mouth, talking around his food when looks at Phil,   
  
“Do you think we should check on her?” He asks, jerking his head back as if to indicate the guest room where Ruby is having a nap, and Phil nods, leaning over to take some pretzels before his brother can eat all of them.   
  
“I’ll go,” he says, standing up, patting Dan’s leg on the way up. “Make sure Martyn doesn’t eat everything, except the cheese of course, he can eat all of them if he wants.”   
  
He has a peanut lobbed at his head by said brother on his way out, and hears his dad scold him.

*   
  
**_Dec 21st - 10:20am_ **

Dan stops in his tracks, almost causing Phil to crash right into him where he’d been walking down the hallway, looking up to see the stricken look on his face.   
  
“She’s shat,” Dan grimaces and Phil’s about to give him a good smack to the arm for breaking their swear word curse, when the smell hits him and he scrunches his face up and takes a step back.   
  
“Oh my god she’s shat just after I put her snow suit on… you little monster.”   
  
Ruby is just happily being held by Dan, looking utterly unphased by it all.   
  
“It’s all the treats my mum keeps trying to feed her,” Phil frowns as Dan turns and heads back to their room - the snowsuit and all the underneath clothes are going to be an absolute bastard to get off and back on again, especially since they were supposed to be leaving twenty minutes ago, but Dan sets her on the bed, and it’s clear that neither of them can stay mad for long when she’s looking up at them with those big, round eyes of hers.   
  
“Is it the cheese?” Dan asks her. Of course, she can’t answer, so she gurgles and tries to fit her toes into her mouth once Dan’s got the bottom half of her clothes off.   
  
“Pass me the wipes,” Dan asks but Phil’s already got a wad of them ready - it’s a poo-splosion and he has to hold his breath as Dan makes quick work of cleaning her up.   
  
“It’s always when we’re in a rush, isn’t it,” Dan says, lightly poking her belly, making her give a little giggle. “You know how to make everyone fuss over you, don’t you?”   
  
It’s then that Kath pokes her head around the door, looking in on them with delight.   
  
“Oh! Did someone make a stink bomb ?” She coos, and Phil momentarily forgets that his mother is a nappy changing, poo cleaning veteran, as she reaches over for her granddaughter that currently smells like a sewer with no qualms whatsoever.   
  
“It’s the cheese,” Phil comments as Kath steps back for Dan to pull her clothes back on, fumbling with buttons and clips. “You have to stop giving her treats, mum.”   
  
Kath frowns at her son and shakes her head. “Nonsense,” she laughs. “I did the same to you when you were this little and you turned out fine.”   
  
Dan gives a dry laugh. “You don’t have to live with him,” he comments. “And that means you don’t have to use the bathroom after he’s been in it.”   
  
Kath laughs and Phil just sighs. “Why are we all constantly talking about crap?   
  
Dan scoops Ruby off the bed and quirks a brow at him, “Now look who’s using bad language.”   
  
Kath sighs dreamily, giving Ruby’s cheek a little pinch. “When you have children it feels like all you’re surrounded by is poo, sick and snot.” She looks between Dan and Phil, a rather sad look about her. “You’ll miss it someday, believe me.”   
  
Phil frowns at her. “Are you saying you wish I was still in nappies just so you can feel nostalgic?”   
  
She swats his arm and Dan snorts a laugh, Ruby does the same just for the sake of joining in.   
  
“Oh, leave your poor mum alone. You know I love you now you’re all grown up, but there really is nothing more special when they’re this little.”   
  
Phil looks to Dan, holding their daughter, and all of sudden, in the midst of poop talk, he feels a tad emotional, damn his mother.   
  
*   
  
**_Dec 21st - 12pm_ **

Phil has to stand up from where he’s sat to let Martyn out so he can rush their wriggling toddler to the bathroom, and it’s then that Cornelia launches into her story about how potty training has been going lately, but she’s considering bedtime nappies and Phil listens as Ruby sits on his lap, and tries to dip her chubby little finger into his latte, obviously finding the froth on top far too interesting to leave alone, and he has to constantly pull her hand away until, using their magic powers, Dan’s pulling her away and distracting her with the gingerbread biscuit he has, making it dance around the table as she tries to grab at it.

“It’s definitely going to be a white christmas,” Nigel muses as he looks out at the window where little wisps of snow are already beginning to fall. “Just like the good old days, eh boys?”

Phil smiles at his dad's enthusiasm; he’s definitely looking a lot better lately. 

“No snow down in Reading,” Dan says, still making ty gingerbread dance around until Ruby grabs it, sticking it in her gob to suck on it. “More like a grey slush christmas.”

Phil hums, knowing that bringing up Dan’s own childhood can bring a bit of a sting to the conversation, but luckily his dad is able to spot that.

“Well. I guess you and little miss trouble over here will be having your first proper snowed in Christmas,” he chuckles, reaching over to give his granddaughter a tickle. “Think you can handle little cold hands and snotty noses?” He asks, playfully.

For the second time today, Dan is able to somehow jab at Phil, smirking as he does so.

“I live with your son. He’s basically an overgrown child, isn’t he?”

Phil sulks in his chair, as his dad and Dan have a good laugh together.

*

**_Dec 22nd - 11am_ **

“I can’t feel my toes.”

Dan’s voice is muffled from where he’s got his hood pulled snuggly over his head, and his scarf is covering the lower half of his face with just the tip of his nose that’s going a slight pink colour and Phil just laughs at him as he kicks up more wet sand along the beach.

“I told you to bring your wellies,” Phil scolds him. “Those aren’t outside shoes,” he comments, nodding down to Dan’s trainers.

“I’m not an outside  _ person,  _ mate,” he scoffs, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

“Don’t be so glum, Danny,” Phil smiles, trapping his tongue between his teeth. “A nice, steaming hot chocolate is waiting for you at home, remember?”

Dan sighs as they continue to walk across the beach together; Martyn and Cornelia are walking, shoulder to shoulder as a miniature version of the two of them, slowly waddles between them, being mesmerised by the water for a moment before jumping back with a shriek, both his brother and sister in law giving a hearty chuckle as they continue onward.

His mum and dad are beyond them even; slow as they walk together, they’ve been passing Ruby between them for the long stretch of sand, and they seem pretty content.

“You think we’ll ever get like that?” Dan suddenly asks, bumping his shoulder with his, making him wobble slightly as he turns his head to laugh at him.

“What? Old?” Phil asks.

“Yeah,” Dan shrugs, still buried beneath his coat and scarf. “Just. Happy, y’know. Would you say your parents are happy?”

Phil only has to glance ahead of them where everyone is walking along with the biting, bitter breeze stings and whips them, the waves roll behind them, and he looks to Dan and grins.

“Of course. You’re happy aren’t you?”

Dan smiles back.

“Absolutely.”

*

**_Dec 23rd - 8pm_ **

“Phil… you can’t wake her just because–”

Phil’s already set off down towards the hallway, ignoring the expasterated sound of Dan’s voice as he practically skips into the spare room, careful to not make any sudden noises as he tiptoes over to his sleeping daughters crib, peering over the side and feeling his heart burst with pride as he watches her sleep peacefully, her little thumb is barely in her mouth anymore, but she looks relaxed nonetheless.

“You’re not seriously going to wake her for  _ snow _ , are you?”   
  
Phil looks around to where Dan is standing beside him, almost hidden in the shadows of the dark room, his voice is hushed but his face is still easy to make out.   
  
“It’s not just any snow,” Phil says pointedly. “It’s christmas snow, and it’s her  _ first  _ christmas snow.”   
  
He reaches into the crib, and despite Dan’s huff, he doesn’t make an effort to stop him. 

“She’ll just be cold and cranky,” he tells him as Phil scoops their daughter up, just as she begins to stir. “And if she doesn’t sleep through the night, you’ll be the one tending to her, you know that right?”

She’s awake now, groggily rubbing a tiny, balled up fist into her eyes as she smacks her lips together, clearly confused as to whether it’s sleepy time or feeding time - and Phil’s excited for her to realise that it’s neither, but instead: snow time.   
  
He looks at Dan who’s already passing him her snowsuit and her hat and mittens.   
  
“I’m not getting up in the night,” Dan reminds him again. “This is your idea, okay?”   
  
Phil giggles to himself as Dan helps put each foot in her tiny boots, and follows Phil with a sigh as they make their way outside where everyone else is.   
  
The sky is so dark it looks like a giant spill of ink across the universe. There’s barely any stars visible from here, but to Phil it doesn’t matter as he looks up to see the white flakes falling from the sky that make up the thick snow that blankets the earth beneath them.   
  
Cornelia is tilting her head back with her tongue out, the child wobbling beside her is doing the same with a lot of determination, and in the corner of his eye, he see’s Martyn scoop up a handful of snow, mould it in his gloves for a moment, with a mad twinkle in his eye when he lobs it right at Dan who gives a shriek of surprise that has everyone laughing.   
  
“Not funny,” he grumbles as he brushes the snow out of his hair, giving Phil a side look when he too lets out a snort of laughter.   
  
“Alright, alright, fair’s fair, hit me with your best shot then. Open target.”   
  
Martyn stands in the darkness with his arms held out, as if ready for execution and at first it looks as if Dan might refuse, but he’s swiftly crafting a snowball, and throwing it, hard, where it lands right in his brother-in-laws chest, giving a laugh as he stumbles from the force of it all.   
  
“Good shot, mate,” he laughs, rubbing at the impacted area of his chest. “I’d say let's go ham but uh-”   
  
“Kids about, no messing about,” both Cornelia and Kath say at the same time.   
  
Ruby gives a little squeak as a snowflake lands on her nose, and she goes a little cross eyed trying to get a better look at it.

Phil holds his hand out to watch them fall into the palm of his glove, and with a look of awe, Ruby does the same, giving a hearty giggle as the snow lands in her hands.   
  
They stand on the drive, all together as the let the snow fall around them, the dark night sky looms over them, but everything feels bright and easy when they’re together like this.   
  
*   
  
**_Dec 24th - 11pm_ **

Phil hears his knee crack as he bends down, twisting his body to just move beneath the itchy branches of the tree that are poking into his back. He slides the present he has in his hands across the floor where it reaches the gap, and he stands again, surrounded by a sea of gift wrapped boxes and all kinds of odd shapes.   
  
“Done?” He asks, looking towards where Dan is standing with a now empty black sack in his hands that was just moments ago, full of presents that they’ve now successfully placed around the tree.   
  
“Looks good,” Dan nods, and when Phil stands beside him to look, he does agree that it does look good.   
  
“Corn’s doing the Santa letter,” Dan tells him with a yawn, “and I think your brother is outside chewing up carrots for the uh, reindeer.”   
  
Phil laughs. “Sounds about right,” then, “do you think it’s good enough?”   
  
Dan looks at him, blinking a few times as if bewildered.   
  
“Phil,” he says flatly. “This is bloody amazing. I know if my parents ever did anything as grand as all this for me, I would have cried.” A pause. Then, “I did, remember?”   
  
Phil looks at the tree that sits proudly in the corner of the room, dressed with twinkling lights and ornaments that have been accumulated over the years. The tree is surrounded with a plethora of gifts, for everyone, and it really does look marvelous.   
  
“I know she won’t be able to remember her first christmas…” Phi starts trailing off, when suddenly Dan grabs his hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.   
  
“But that doesn’t mean we won't. It’s our first Christmas all together like this,” he looks a little teary eyed, which in turn, makes Phil feel a little teary eyed.   
  
“It’s gonna be perfect,” he croaks. “No matter what.”   
  
Just then, Martyn comes in from outside; there’s snow on his head and he actually has carrot chunks down his jumper, looking totally unphased at the idea that he’d been gnawing on vegetables for the last half hour, outside in the snow.   
  
Cornelia then comes in, sets the letter down beside the biscuits and milk that Kath had arranged for them, looking rather pleased with herself runs her fingers over the paper.   
  
“Right then,” Martyn yawns. “Guess we get some sleep in for the big day tomorrow.”   
  
Cornelia hums sleepily, leaning into him.   
  
“Who’s gonna eat the biscuits?” Phil asks, eyeing them up - they’re the fancy ones he knows his mother knows he loves.   
  
Dan scoffs and nudges him forward with his elbow. “Oh go on then, gutsy, if anyone is gonna eat Santa’s food, it’ll be definitely you.”   
  
Martyn laughs, “Yeah. Mum and dad had to watch his door as a kid in fear he’d sneak downstairs for them.”   
  
Phil frowns, shooting Martyn an incredulous look as he reaches for the biscuit. “Did not.”   
  
“Did so.”   
  
Cornelia scoffs and runs her fingers through her red curls, and lets out a tiny yawn. “We should get to bed though, it’s gonna be long tomorrow.”   
  
They say their goodnights, the pair disappearing off upstairs, just leaving Dan and Phil alone with the tree.   
  
“Are you ready then?” Dan asks after a moment, his eyes are so bright, they could be their own kind of christmas lights.   
  
“Not really,” Phil tells him truthfully. He’s still scared about everything going wrong and being a complete and utter disaster, but he won’t fully admit that to Dan, not that he needs to anyway.   
  
“Same here,” Dan shrugs, and he grabs the milk off the table and gives it a swirl.   
  
“How will we know?” Phil asks him, cocking his head to the side. “How will we know how to do it right?”   
  
Dan grins, bringing the glass to his lips, taking a sip before he says with an excited whisper,   
  
“I guess we have the rest of our lives to find out, hm?”   
  
Phil takes a cookie, takes a bite before lifting it, chinning it with Dan’s milk, both laughing quietly in case of waking the whole house, and Phil can’t believe that tomorrow will be the first christmas with their baby, and every other christmas after tomorrow will be unlike any other christmas he’s ever known.

And he can’t bloody wait. 

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr !! @watergator


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